Cris Balancio's Blog

Dear Lord;
Your Love for me is beyond comprehension;
You suffered and died to redeem me from my wickedness
You have risen from death so that I may live
You have overcomed death
So I may know that you are the God of Life

Dear Lord,
This week of Lent , I pray
Cause these things in me to die..
My …..
Insensitivity to the needy and the helpless;

There is truth in the saying “there are no inappropriate participants, only inappropriate methodologies”. Training as a human resource intervention may be made light and pleasant. Participants in our training courses are adults and as such they have peculiar characteristics. They have a wealth of experiences, have sense of direction, autonomous, goal oriented, prefers learning for immediate application, and not controllable by traditional classroom rules and regulations.

Although we, are now adults, we still maintain the juvenile traits of the child in us. We experienced this when we had our staff development entitled “Green Teambuilding” last January 22-24, 2013 in Zambales. In the team games that the staff played along the seashore in Iba, Zambales, each member struggled very hard to outdo the other teams in the running, solving a puzzle, filling -up a big bucket with sea water, and beach volleyball. Ms.

Dear lord,
One year is about to end
Since you had made me a steward
Of a noble duty and responsibility...
For the LGU Agri-Extension Workers, the farmers, the rural women,
the youth, the indigenous people, and the farmer-scientists
Because of your concern for them,
You mandated me to teach appropriate skills and technologies,
and entrepreneurial capabilities,
You asked me to organize them or strengthen their organizations;

Last August and September this year, I was privilege to attend separate workshops in Dumaguete and Davao Cities. I experienced the hospitality and progress of these two popular cities. In Dumaguete City, you will be greeted by friendly and smiling people, and relatively peaceful surroundings wherever you go. No wonder this place is kown as the “city of gentle people.” In Davao city, you will be overwhelmed by the various varieties of fresh, cheap and delicious fruits in almost any corner of the market.

The recent typhoon Undoy and Pepeng that struck Metro Manila and Luzon brought great damages to life, property, agriculture, fisheries and infrastructure. Fear and worry was experienced when almost non-stop winds and heavy rains pounded the place. The creeks, rivers and lakes swelled and flooded the lowland areas. The mountains were eroded. Landslides damaged the roads, the bridges and many houses. People in affected areas were scampering for safety while the unlucky ones perished. We asked where is the safe ground? where is my protection? to whom will I run for refuge?

As part of my extension tasks and functions, I often travel to various places. In these places I often tend to be observant and inquisitive. I ask people what the place is known for, how the place got its name, the culture of the people, the delicacies in the area, the agricultural products, the lodging houses and hotels, the transportation and communication facilities, the peace and order and the political situation of the area. In essence, I am asking about the trademarks of the place.

Establishing the e-extension program of the Department of Agriculture is a monumental task. The Agricultural Training Institute is mandated to lead the e-extension program in the country by virtue of Department Order no.03 s 2007. This is a noble function but surely an additional task. Ms.